Advice needed for first use of arashiyama 6000.

[bennypapa]

I've added an arashiyama 6000 to my stone collection. As this is my first high grit stone and my first with a nagura stone, and because my Japanese is limited to about 12 words I could use some advice.

Is there a translation of the care instructions available?
Is there anything I need to do to prepare the stone for use?
How and when/why do I use the nagura?

Thank you

 

[Seqmt]

I'm in exactly the same boat as you. I collected mine today. Very excited to use it. I look forward to the experienced replies.

 

[StonedEdge]

This is a synthetic stone?

 

[bennypapa]

Yes. A synthetic Arashiyama like this https://www.mtckitchen.com/arashiyama-sharpening-stone-for-knives-fine-grit-6000/

 

[JBroida]

its a resinoid based 6k stone... just treat it like normal resinoid based stones. Excuse the copy and paste below, but this should help:

Resinoid based stones respond to soaking and drying differently from ceramic, clay based, and magnesia based stones. Magnesia based stones, like the chocera, will crack when over-soaked due to magnesia (the binding agent) leaching out in the water. After a while, the stone looses structural stability. Clay based and ceramic stones do not have any cracking problems unless dropped (or sometimes when they are worn thin and you exert too much pressure in an unsupported section). Vitrified stones work in a similar way to the ceramic and clay based stones, but are often less firm and can break more easily when dropped and/or worn too thin. Resinoid based stones, like the gesshin synthetic natural, 5000, and 6000 respond to soaking differently. The soaking is actually not the issue at all. Soaking helps soften the stone, causing it to release more abrasive more quickly, improving tactile feedback, and helping create more mud. However, repeated soaking and drying, drying too quickly, or changes in humidity based on environment cause the stone to dry out unevenly. Because resinoid based stones are not as porous, air can not penetrate as quickly, nor can water escape in the same way. As water leaves the outer portion of the stone, the loss of mass causes the outside of the stone to shrink faster than the inside of the stone, which is the main cause of cracking with stones like this. Therefore, when it comes to resinoid based stones, you need to pick one of the following ways of dealing with them:
*soak permanently
*use as a splash and go stone
*soak and dry, but dry very carefully and slowly, while paying attention to general humidity

 

[Jovidah]

Although I wouldn't necessarily consider myself 'experienced', I can share my own two cents as a happy owner of this stone:

Congratulations! You bought yourself a wonderful stone that is no fuss and easy to use. If your knives don't get sharp...it's really all on you.

More seriously. I found the stone working really well as a true splash and go stone, and never felt any urge to soak it... at all (unlike for example a Chosera 5k). You can... literally... splash water on it and start sharpening.

The nagura has 2 possible uses: to 'clean' the stone when it starts clogging up with metal to expose fresh abrasive, and to generate a slurry to sharpen in. I usually start my sharpening on this stone - after watering it - by rubbing it a bit with the nagura to bring up a slurry; it tends to kickstart the sharpening process.
But that might be entirely placebo. There's a thousand opinions on the use of nagura stones (or whether to sharpen in slurry or not). So I highly encourage you to try that out for yourself; try with and without slurry, and see what gives you the results you want.

Also, because it soaks up so little water I mostly use a spray bottle to add water to the Arashiyama; otherwise it's easy to over-water it and overdilute the slurry, because so little water soaks into the stone.